This 11-year-old makes his best case for why you should help save local animals

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Rockford Register Star

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Posted Dec. 17, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Posted Dec. 17, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Editor's note: Eli Lowry, 11, wanted to visit Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, 111 N. First St., when his family was at Rockford's State Street Stroll in late November. While visiting, his family fell in love with an older dog named Gizmo and adopted him. Since, Eli, a sixth-grader at Marshall Renaissance School in Rockford, was assigned to write a paper on "How to persuade your parents to buy you something you really want" or a "special charity." Eli chose to write a paper on Noah's Ark. His mom, Beth, said Eli's teacher told the students they would get extra credit if the paper was published in the Rockford Register Star. We just had to help out Eli. It runs below as he wrote it.

You should donate to or adopt from Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, formally known as Noah's Ark. For one, Noah's Ark saves cats and dogs from harm, abuse, neglection, and strayism. Adopting helps an animal, and the Ark. Donating is a good way to keep Noah's Ark open for those animals who need the Ark.

Noah's Ark saves harmed, neglected, and stray animals. Some may say "Pshh, big deal", but it's making a difference. You have to start somewhere! Try living a life without animals. The world would be lonely, and die off quickly. Noah's Ark is a no kill animal adoption center. That means they will never put down an animal for any reason. If you truly cared about animals you would either donate or adopt. Truly caring means that you want to make a difference in our world. Once at the sanctuary, the animals receive proper medical care. Then, they are put in comfortable kennels, where people can look and decide to adopt or not.

Why should somebody ever adopt a pet? Well, adopting a pet helps you, the animal, and the Ark. A pet helps people because they gain a friend for life. My Golden Retriever died, when I was young. I will always remember her.

I tell you this because it shows that even a short time with a pet can change one's life drastically. It makes people less lonely. Who wants to be lonely? No one I know. In general, pets make people happier. Adopting a pet shows the pet, that you care about it. The animal will show more affection after adoption, than it would if had been bought by a breeder. Noah's Ark is relatively small, so when you adopt an animal, you are freeing space for another animal to be saved by the Ark. More adoptions mean more animals saved and put into homes. Parents, your kids would benefit from having a pet.

Children, if you get a pet, you need to take care of them, it's worth it. Your friends will find you so cool. If you don't have enough room to adopt a pet, what can you do instead?

Page 2 of 2 - You can donate to Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary!! Why donate? The Ark relies on our donations to continue helping animals. The donations go for food, shots, bathing, supplies, etc. All are things the animals need. No money to donate? That's O.K. You can donate your spare time.

That's because the Sanctuary doesn't just need money. It needs volunteers. Don't be afraid to volunteer even if you can donate. Some people feel uncomfortable donating. If you are over 17 years old you can do" behind the scenes" work. For example, you might organize the shelves, or unfold/uncrumple the newspapers in dog kennels.

Helping animals makes anyone, any age feel good. If you are under 17 years old you can make cat blankets, collect donations, and spread the word about Noah's Ark. I am spreading the word with this paper. I will make cat blankets, and my school might collect donations because of me. No thought is to small to help a worthy cause. Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary has come very far because of our donations! Come on, let's help animals and society, in Rockford Illinois.

You have learned how Noah's Ark helps animals, how adopting helps everyone involved, and why to donate money or time. The longer you wait to adopt or donate, the sadder an animal gets.

"Only a life lived for others is a life well lived." - Albert Einstein.